Velocity profile of self compacting concrete and traditional concrete flowing in a half open pipe

ABSTRACT: The behavior of concrete flowing in a pipe is a key factor for mastering the concrete pumping technique. Due to the non-homogeneity of concrete, the concentration of particles (aggregate, sand, cement…) is not the same everywhere in the pipe. Particularly in the highly sheared zone near the wall, the concentration of coarse particles is much lower than that in the bulk. As a result, the rheological properties across the cross section vary with the distance from the wall. This phenomenon affects directly the velocity profile across the section. However, the velocity profile of concrete flowing in a pipe has never been quantitatively measured. This paper shows an experimental method to accurately measure the velocity profile. On the other hand, the influence of the variation of the rheological properties on the velocity profile across the pipe is also studied. Finally, a comparison between experimental analyses and numerical simulations shows reasonable correlation. This paper concentrates on the difference between the flow of a self-compacting concrete and that of a traditional concrete based on their different rheological properties.

@inproceedings{2986562,
abstract = {ABSTRACT: The behavior of concrete flowing in a pipe is a key factor for mastering the concrete pumping technique. Due to the non-homogeneity of concrete, the concentration of particles (aggregate, sand, cement{\textellipsis}) is not the same everywhere in the pipe. Particularly in the highly sheared zone near the wall, the concentration of coarse particles is much lower than that in the bulk. As a result, the rheological properties across the cross section vary with the distance from the wall. This phenomenon affects directly the velocity profile across the section. However, the velocity profile of concrete flowing in a pipe has never been quantitatively measured. This paper shows an experimental method to accurately measure the velocity profile. On the other hand, the influence of the variation of the rheological properties on the velocity profile across the pipe is also studied. Finally, a comparison between experimental analyses and numerical simulations shows reasonable correlation. This paper concentrates on the difference between the flow of a self-compacting concrete and that of a traditional concrete based on their different rheological properties.},
author = {Le, HD and De Schutter, Geert and Kadri, EH and Aggoun, S and Vierendeels, J and Troch, Peter},
booktitle = {Concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting III},
editor = {Alexander, Mark G and Beushausen, Hans-Dieter and Dehn, Frank and Moyo, Pilate},
isbn = {9780415899529},
language = {eng},
location = {Cape Town, South Africa},
pages = {1382--1387},
publisher = {CRC Press},
title = {Velocity profile of self compacting concrete and traditional concrete flowing in a half open pipe},
year = {2012},
}